The Succumb of Bataan

             The estimated 75,000 Filipino and American forces on Bataan were forced to march 65 miles to prison camps after the United States surrendered the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese on April 9, 1942 during World War II (1939-45). The protesters endured extreme heat on their journey and were subjected to brutal punishment by Japanese troops. The Bataan Death March claimed the lives of thousands of people.

The Bataan Death March occurred in the Philippines when General George MacArthur withdrew most of the American forces from the Philippines Islands, leaving some behind to fight alongside the Filipinos against the Japanese. The Battle of Bataan, which began on January 7, 1942 and lasted until the Americans surrendered on April 9, was the focal point of the resistance around Manila Bay. The Japanese were therefore forced to relocate over 60,000 prisoners of war and over 300,000 civilians, which they were not prepared to do.

During the journey, prisoners were assaulted, plundered, and famished, and many died of dehydration. The march claimed the lives of up to 600 Americans, but the Filipinos fared considerably worse; some estimates put the death toll at up to 20,000.

sources: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march

https://www.britannica.com/event/Bataan-Death-March